Blue Diamond Growers held their 112th annual end-of-year meeting in Modesto on earlier this month, giving Board members and staff an opportunity to highlight a number of accomplishments. Among the topics of discussion included the fact that the almond powerhouse was able to achieve historically high production enroute to reporting record profits, all while continuing to navigate several industry challenges.
“Although 2022 was marked by supply chain disruptions, the ongoing COVID-19 impact and a continuing drought, we still fulfilled our mission and provided considerable competitive advantage with our grower returns,” said outgoing President and CEO Mark Jansen.
Blue Diamond sold over 83 million pounds of almonds as part of their snack lines, remained the top producer in almond milk in the plant-based milk category, and launched multiple new consumer products, such as Chilé 'n Lime, Probiotics, Elote, Korean BBQ and Mash Ups. Blue Diamond also had an increased focus on overseas expansion. The company shared that they achieved 17% volume growth compared to the previous year for Almond Breeze products in more than 70 countries.
Almond Breeze is produced at the Turlock Blue Diamond site where everything needed for the product is manufactured in the same facility. Blue Diamond completed an expansion at the Turlock facility in 2020. The 52,000 square foot addition was built alongside the existing 200,000 square foot facility that has been in Turlock since 2013.
To accommodate for the heightened popularity of Blue Diamond in overseas markets, the company opened new markets in Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Bolivia and Argentina, while driving 33% volume growth in Asia.
“Blue Diamond has experienced substantial growth in recent years through thoughtful, smart decisions and actions,” said Board Chair Dan Cummings. “With our focus on innovation, deeply established partnerships and steadfast commitment to going above and beyond to deliver on consumer and retail demands, I expect this progress to continue well into the future.”
With new products on the shelves and increased sales domestically and abroad, Blue Diamond was able to increase grower payments by an average of $.20 a pound, delivering what they describe as a record competitive advantage.
“It could not have happened without the dedication of our 3,000 grower-owners or the 1,800 hard-working Blue Diamond team members,” said Jansen.
The 3,000 almond growers and orchard owners are located throughout California while the 1,800 Blue Diamond team members work throughout the company’s processing plants, receiving stations and gift shops in Turlock, Salida and Sacramento. More information about Blue Diamond can be found at their website at www.bluediamond.com
